


Ghost

by LuciaWilt



Category: Death Stranding (Video Games), Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Android!Higgs, Crossover, Elijah Kamski Being Elijah Kamski, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Introspection, M/M, One Big Happy Family, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), no one asked for this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:34:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23971639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuciaWilt/pseuds/LuciaWilt
Summary: It was only after the Death Stranding, and after his most recent creation, did he find out there were ghosts in his machines.
Relationships: Elijah Kamski/Higgs Monaghan, Higgs Monaghan/Originial Chloe | RT600, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Original Chloe | RT600/Elijah Kamski
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Ghost

**Author's Note:**

> me after everyone didn't say a single thing : dbh/ds crossover? anyone?
> 
> also I tweaked a little bit here and there about the continuity of the Death Stranding timeline/universe. plus, I have 0 science background. my degree was in sociology and religion fajiodsjao don't drag me for my piss poor science facts
> 
> [ Playlist ](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSE-TM5g393RoUc4UORhrCHTknpPAf30j)
> 
> [ Elijah Inspiration ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/181844609@N08/49847745797/in/dateposted-public/)
> 
> [ Elijah Inspiration ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/181844609@N08/49847442601/in/dateposted-public/)

By the time the Death Stranding occurred, Elijah Kamski was well aware of Deviancy within his androids. Well, most people on Earth were well aware of the Deviancy code within the systems that kept androids running. The revolution in Detroit had changed everything; it was a new beginning if one to were look at it in a positive light. If someone had a different opinion on the matter; it was easy to say it was the beginning of the end. However, what had happened not a year to the day after those events, it was not even tangentially related to Markus and his crew of misfits fighting for the rights of their people. Elijah had his suspicions as to what happened; as to who, or what, was behind it, but he never shared his findings. 

It wasn’t like he had anyone to share it with, what with his Chloe models being the only ones to speak with him. Perhaps it was for the best that he went into self-imposed exile before everything went to shit; much less messy if someone he theoretically had been living with turned on him, killing him in the process. 

Chloe had decided to stay with him even after her Deviancy. Elijah knew it was likely because if she didn’t, the MULEs and other wonderers would have grabbed her for scrap. There was tension in her shoulders, often found there at any point in the day. He was not stupid. He knew there was a part of her that wanted to leave; it was just good that they were close, much closer than many humans and androids had been before everything shattered in their grasp. Her protection was his first priority in their situation, and their continued safety was her utmost concern now that the Death Stranding controlled every aspect of their lives. 

Elijah had already been a vegetation before everything happened. Now Chloe, all her models that stayed, helped him grow food. It was a strange turn of events, what with having lived in such a high-tech world in the preceding decade. Though of course the inside of his villa hardly changed. That was one good thing about living a solitary life; not being able to tell the difference when something apocalyptic happened, outside of a few key changes. 

President Warren had all but devolved into a sniveling mess and that only made things worse than they had already been. In the times they were currently stuck in, the country had needed a strong leader; at least to lead them to a new jumping off point. Warren had cracked them further; shattering any semblance of solidarity and “togetherness” the United States had prior. Now the country that for so long had been on top of the world came crumbling down; nothing more than a scattershot web of factions and the few states that had somehow been able to hold on through it all. 

Not that he particularly cared. There was really one thing that took up most of his time now that there was no CyberLife to halfway worry about dragging him back or any other mess.

By the time the Death Stranding occurred, Deviancy was well known; both by him who created the androids and the world as a whole. It was only after the Death Stranding, and after his most recent creation, did he find out there were ghosts in his machines. 

Elijah Kamski was a victim of DOOMs; and so were his androids. 

~’~

“Elijah, Higgs is back.” It was Chloe’s soft voice that brought him out of his thoughts. He glanced up over his shoulder, spotting her in the doorway to the pool room. It sent a strange sense of déjà vu rushing through his body; nearly expecting Connor and the gruff Lieutenant Anderson to come strolling in after her. Of course, though, that was a different time. While he hoped those two had made it through; were now living a newly disjointed life together, he had no idea. It was unlikely they came out unscathed and he had no way of finding out; what with the networks being shut down when things went to shit. 

Plus, it was likely both Connor and Hank Anderson were bearers of DOOMs; both with their own sets of traumas, trials, and tribulations. Elijah did not know if the scavengers perhaps got them first or if the DOOMs did. Either way he smiled, the news of Higgs arrival making his day that much better. “Send him in.” He muttered while climbing out of his blood red pool. While Chloe nodded and vanished from the room, Elijah quickly dried off and got dressed. It was simply; joggers and a t-shirt. Not like he needed anything else, not while he was in his villa. And he only went out into the waste with Chloe and Higgs both; on the rare times the three of them were at the villa together. Elijah just had no need for the heavy body armor that Higgs wore, as well as the Timefall proof cloak. 

Speaking of… Higgs casually walked into the room; tracking mud and human viscera in his wake. Upon entering their home, he clearly had removed his mask, hood, and other things that covered his face when he was out in the wastes; things that would alert any other android on first glance that he was not human. Call it a whim of Elijah’s; that he wanted something fun to do while everything became incredibly boring. 

Higgs walked right up to him, watching Elijah cross his arms by the glass wall that overlooked lake Michigan. There was a beat of silence before Elijah spoke, “Any updates?” He asked. 

If he were anyone else; or even if he had a lower level of DOOMs, he would perhaps be worried about having Higgs so close to him. He would be concerned about BTs popping up in his home, about dying and even creating a Voidout. Alas, Elijah felt no concern within his being, just interest and what many would call attraction…adoration…love?

Higgs had the highest level of DOOMs, at least known to man at the moment. There were still strange bits of news that filtered through the grapevine of mouth to mouth interaction as well as the last few vestiges of “the internet”. No single human or android could do what Higgs could do; and Elijah felt a sense of thrill and pride at such an achievement. 

The dirty blonde android in front of him twitched a wicked smile before he pulled his armored glove off and pushed up his sleeve. There was a long gash running from his middle finger all the way up to the crook of his elbow. “Ah I see.” 

“I’ll tell you about my day if you tell me about yours.” Humorous, Elijah thought to himself. Higgs was hard to pin down, even for someone like Elijah. That might be why he was so enamored with the android. Either way, he nodded and the two went walking down the hallway to his elevator. It quickly brought them down a few stories to his lab where he still did maintenance on Chloe and Higgs as well as tinkered with new designs.

What? He had to amuse himself somehow when Higgs was out and Chloe was quiet. 

Higgs easily and unabashedly stripped down completely; all his dirty armor and weaponry falling into a pile on the other wise of the room. Once he was bare, Elijah was able to see other wounds, consistent with both close-range knife attacks as well as long range rifles of the sort. He blinked a few times, pushing his glasses onto his face that had been resting on the moveable desk where his laptop sat. He rolled the entire set up over to the operating table Higgs pushed himself up onto. 

Elijah had no problems admitting he had sex with his androids, Higgs included. He had anatomically correct genitals, and often before everything happened some androids were almost bashful about their nude appearance; especially once they achieved Deviancy. Funny thing, such a human reaction to one’s own body. Elijah himself had no problem being naked in front of others, whether that be Chloe or Higgs or when he was in a simple bathing suit in front of the good Lieutenant and Connor a year prior. He was handsome and there was no need to be ashamed of it.

Higgs seemed to pick up a similar outlook to his creator, not even flinching as Elijah pushed him back down onto the table. That, or sense they had already been intimate, Higgs no longer cared. If Elijah were being honest he would have liked either of the possibilities for Higgs. There was part of him that imagined Higgs being bashful; almost having a ‘Connor-esque’ expression on his face as Elijah took him over and over. Even now he could recall with such striking clarity those big brown eyes all doe like in their innocence. How odd it had been, what with CyberLife having built Connor as a literal walking, talking weapon. He had seen the specs’ some time after he first saw Connor on the news (a deviant nearly jumping off the roof of a high rise with a kid he remembered correctly). CyberLife had intended to roll Connor out for espionage; the puppy dog like android could technically topple governments if he had so been inclined. 

“I ran into an interesting group today.” Higgs started. Elijah was well aware of the organization Higgs had somehow founded. It was an interesting thing and Elijah often liked to hear the talkative android go on and on about it. Elijah was still unclear if the other Homo Demens were aware their leader was an android; he didn’t know if they would even care in the first place. Once the Death Stranding occurred, all those anti-android factions got real quiet REAL fast; the playing field was finally even. 

Well…even for the general public. 

“I see,” Elijah started as he took Higgs damaged arm. Some of the blue blood had already dried so only Higgs would be able to see the true extent of how much he had lost, how much was still clinging to his synthetic skin. However, some of the blood was still slowly oozing from the wound. “And who might have this been?” He asked, turning to grab some of his supplies before facing Higgs once again. He was lying down, his own venomous eyes tracking Elijah’s every movements. “Blood levels.” Elijah’s words were a statement, not a question; but even android he spoke to from the moment he invented them to that exact second would know how to respond, Deviancy or not. 

“45%.” Higgs could always run optimally on a shockingly low level of blue blood. Even Connor, the last android created by CyberLIfe, would have a hard time moving on that amount. Higgs was special. 

That also meant he lost much more than what Elijah first suspected. That’s what Elijah got though; letting Higgs be as free as he was. 

“Retract your skin. I need to apply a new layer.” Elijah watched Higgs tanned skin vanish from his body, leaving a familiar white skeleton lying on his table. 

“I believe you know the two I met.” Higgs accented voice said in that sing song sort of lilt he always carried. It peaked Elijah’s interest, that was for sure. He waited patiently to hear the rest; grabbing the bizarre mix of melted Rhodium and Uranium. 

That was the new stepping stone. The mixture he held in his hand was what made his Chloe and Higgs the most advanced androids in the world; giving the mechanical beings a leg up against humans yet again. Though of course only he, Chloe, and Higgs knew of it. 

As he began to paint the mixture over Higgs’ body, the android continued; the Cheshire cat grin never leaving his face. Yes, Higgs knew. He knew he was special. He knew that even if he forewent all the body gear and the Timefall cloak; he would be able to survive much longer than any android or human out in the Timefall. Elijah had figured out that the Death Stranding was not just a spiritual phenomenon, but there was a scientific lens to it as well. While the science was astronomy based, and that meant Elijah just had to learn something new, it gave the inventive genius something to fill the boredom in his running mind. 

“That RK800 model and the older human he runs about with, Hank Anderson; they were doing only god knows what not far off from here.” 

Elijah actually paused at that, hand hovering over Higgs’ hipbone with the paintbrush in his hand. He blinked a few times before continuing with what he was doing. 

Definitely not what he had been expecting to hear from Higgs.

~’~

Elijah Kamski was an odd human. Higgs had found that out early in his time being alive. The inventor was bored with most everything and anything; though some things caught his eye like a shiny coin to a magpie. Higgs and his companion android Chloe were two things that Elijah coveted rather closely. Not that Higgs minded. 

It seemed as though he got that from his creator, the incessant boredom running through his code. There was just something so wonderful about chaos in every way, shape, and form. He loved the dance of it, the way he could see the smells and taste the colors as he heard the confused utterings of androids and humans alike. Again, like his creator, he seemed to have made a name for himself in the newly disjointed world. 

Higgs Monaghan and Elijah Kamski, two peas in a pod; unpredictable and “just wanting to watch the world burn”. 

For the most part it was true. Higgs liked to see those around him dance for his amusement, that was true; but he created an attachment to Elijah and Chloe. They had become family to him; Elijah explaining many “Deviants” felt that way. Deviancy was something that just came immediately to Higgs and he lived his life fuller because of it. 

Now he watched as his creator continued painting on the anti-Timefall mixture to his long limbs. Between each of his legs, Elijah had hooked up a large bag of blue blood to Higgs arm, letting the liquid flow back into him through an IV line; much like humans in a hospital. 

Elijah Kamski was strikingly handsome on top of his vast intelligence. During the time after the Android Revolution, Elijah had apparently deemed it time to let his hair go back to the pale brown that seemed to be natural to him. He shaved it shorter on the sides; the top just slightly longer and pushed back each and every day. Elijah had some facial hair; nothing to egregious, and his Helix piercing played off the light of the lab. 

Elijah’s cat like eyes perhaps drew Higgs in the most. Hell, most of Elijah’s features had a feline like quality to them; curious and prodding, vicious when he wanted to be. 

“Connor and Lieutenant Anderson?” There it was. Elijah was amused, a cat with a new toy. He prowled around Higgs body on the table, working his way up until he was finally to his arm. Where the wound was still pulled open. 

Elijah had spared no expenses when it came to Higgs body. He pushed the boundaries of human and creation for if it were not for the blue blood, one would truly think Higgs was just an inordinately handsome and sociopathic human male.

Yes two peas in a pod they were. 

“That is what my scans told me. That Connor is quite a cute little thing isn’t he?” Higgs laughed at the same time Elijah let out a low laugh, ducking his head as he finished up lasering closed the wound on Higgs arm. There was a tingle there before Elijah continued to pain the mixture on his body. 

After each limb Elijah had finished, Higgs had pulled his synthetic skin back up to cover the white parts of his body. He could easily admit he was a little vain; though it was probably more from Elijah liking how he looked so much. 

Once Elijah finished and Higgs had pulled the rest of his skin back up, Elijah sat on the rolling stool he pulled over. There was a brief moment of silence before Elijah cracked a smile, “Perhaps we should invite the two of them to the villa sometime in the future. It’s been a year since I last saw them and they surely still remember where I live. Would you like that Higgs?” Elijah asked, cupping the side of Higgs face since he had sat up on the operating table. 

That grin found Higgs lips, even as Elijah brushed the top with his thumb. “I’ll get on it.” 


End file.
